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Þen aires him on ser Alexander furth with his princes,
To þe cite-ward of Susys him-selfe he aproches.
Þare-in ser Darius duellid with his derfe ostis,
So neȝe he come to þa cliffis he kend ouire þe cite.
With þat comaunds he he[s] kniȝtis to cutt doune belyue
Bowis of buskis & of braunches of bolis & of lindes,
And bynde to þaire hors feete of bobis of herbis,
Bath to Meeris & to mulis & all maner of bestis.
Þe popill out of Persy þat slike a pake saȝe,
Beheld on̄ he to þe hillis & heterly was stroub[l]id;
Þai ware so woundird of þat werke & wetirly it semed
As all þe grond & þe greues had glid þaim agayns.
So neȝe þe cite he soȝt & sett vp his tentis,
Þat thre days to þat thede him̄ tharne & na mare.
Said: “let ane dryue to Dary & bede him dryffe sone,
Or put him to my powere & plede we na langire.”
Þe same niȝt in his slepe him soda[n]ly a-perid
Amon̄, his awen̄ god in aung[e]ls wyse,
In a mery mantill of mervailous hewis,
Meuand as a Messedone in Marcure fourme;
Said: “vn-to Susys my son̄ na sandisman þou send,
Bot fange my fygour to þe fast & fand furth þi-selfe,
Clethe þe with my conyschaunce & for na care drede,
I hete þe haly my help na harme sall þou suffire.”
Þan slade he sliȝly a-way & he fra slepe ryse,
A breme blasand blis in his brist rysys.
He knew his kniȝtis þat cas & þai him clene redd,
Þat he suld graythe him to ga as him his god chargis.
Þan callis to him þis conquirour ane of his kid prince[s],
Emynelaus, þat his erlis & his ost ledes,
Hend & hardy of his hand a huge man of strenthe,
And þare-to lede lelist to his lord leuand of lyue.
He bad him boun̄ him belyue & on̄ a blonk worth,
Anoþire foole with him fange & founde with himselfe.
Strad vp him-selfe on a stede in starand wedis,
And on a cursoure þe kniȝt with a collt foloȝes.
To þe grete flode of Granton̄ to-gedire þai ride,
Þai fand it forsen þaim be-fore a fote-thike yse.
Þat is þe streme of Strama with many steds clepid,
And ȝit þe pure propure name in percynne tonge.
Þan̄ Alexander belyue his wedes he changis,
Þis renke with his Ronsees he ridis ouire & leuys.
“A! lat me lend with ȝow, lord” þe lede him besekis,
“For drede þat angire or a-ventour or any slike fall.”
“Nay, houe þou here,” quod þe kyng “vn-to my hame-come.
He þat I saw in my slepe sall be my sekire helpe.”
With þat he braides on̄ þe blonke & broches him in̄ þe syd,
Bowis him to-ward þe burȝe as briȝt as ane aungell.

Þis reuere at I first rede be rewle of his kynde,
As wele in seson̄ of Somere as in þe sad wintre,
And þat is neuer bot on̄ niȝtis so naytely it fresys,
Till any powere to pas or preke on̄ with stedis.
Ȝit has þe floum̄, as I fynd a forelange obrede,
And euire-ilke mornyng it meltis for miȝt of þe son̄;
With slike a reryd þan it rynnes þe romance it witnes,
Þat qua so tuke it in þat tyme tint ware for euire.
Be þis enproched him oure prince vn-to þe proude cite,
Band his blonke at a barrere with-out þe burȝe ȝatis.
Þe Persyns of his passag was passyngly wondird,
And gesses him to be gode for glori of his wedis.
“Quat dones man ert þou?” quod Dary & drafe him agayne.
“Sire Alexander,” quod þis athill “has all þus me sent,
Bedis buske þe to batell quat bade makis þou here?
Outhire ȝare þe ȝapely þar-to or till his ȝokke bowe.”
“Qweþire þu be he?” quod þe hathill “so hately þou spekis,
Þou melis noȝt as a minister a messangere bowis;
Þou carpis euyn as a kyng þat closid ware in pride.
Bot I am dred neuire a dele of all þi bald saȝes.
Bot for þi souerayne sake þat sent þe þus hedire,
Ȝit sall þou sit with my-selfe & soupe or þou wynde.”
He raȝt him þan be þe arme & reuerence him makis,
And to his palais a-pert with princes him̄ ledis,
Þare aires him in ser Alexander & all þus he thinkis,
“Þis ilke bar-bryn berne grete beute me schewys,
Þat here þus hyndly be þe hand ledis to his Innes;
Þis hame with help of my god I haue sall he[r]eftir.”
So silis he furth with þe sire in-to a somere-hall,
Þare sesonde was a soper þe sotelest vndire heuen.
Sire Darius drawis to þe dese & oþir dere princes,
Settis þis sire with him-selfe lete serue þaim to-gedire.
Þat bild was all of brynt gold as þe buke tellis,
With þe bath, þe bordis & þe benkes beten̄ of þat ilke.
Þe wessell to vyse on̄ was verraly þe same,
And all þe sale of a sute set full of stanes.
Þe popill of Persy opon þis prince waitis,
Þe litillaike of his like lathely þat þai spyse;
Bot þe wisedome & þe worthenes & of þe wale thewis
Þat in þat cors was enclosed kend þai full litill.
Butlers full besyly broȝt vp þe wyne,
In grete gobletis of gold graythid full of ȝymmes;
And Alexander belyue as he had ay dronken̄,
With þat he clekis vp þe coupe & putis in his bosom̄.
Anoþire boll was him broȝt & bathe he deuoydid,
And ȝit he threw to þe thrid & thrast in̄ þare-eftir.
Sone as þe clientis þat knew at of þe coupe serued,
Þai knele doun before þe kyng & him þe cas tald.
Þan has ser Dary dedeyne & derfely he lokes,
Rysys him vp renysch & reȝt in̄ his sete,
“Quat faris þou with,” quod he, “frynde? a fon̄ þe besemes;
Quy voydis þou my vessell? it is a vile schame.”
“Sire, it is þe custum,” quod þe kniȝt “in oure kyngis fest,
Þat, be it ane, be it oþire þat þai of drinke,
Þe gestis sall haue þe goblettis & þaim gud þinke,
To wild & wende with a-way & wirke quat þaim likes;
Bot sen þis vse is here vn-honourable here I þam̄ leue;”
Braidis þaim furth withouten bade þe butlers þaim yeldis.
“Now sothely,” quod þan̄ ilk a segge softly to-gedire,
“Þis maner at he melis of is menskefull & noble.”
Þan was þare ane proude pere a prince at þe table,
Anepo, þat on̄ Alexander all-way be-haldis,
Þan mynes him anes in Messedone he had þe man sene,
Quen he was sent to his syre to feche þaire trouage.
His vertuse & his vysage his voise he remenbris,
His fourme & his fetoure his figoure a-vysis,
He studis & he stuynes he stemes with-in,
“Is þis noȝt Philip son̄ þe firs þe fedare of grece?”
With þat he sleȝly vp soȝt & his sete leuys,
Droȝe him̄ euyn̄ to ser Dary þare he on̄ dese bydis,
Said, “surely, ser, þis sandisman þat sittis ȝow be-forne
Is Alexander him awen self or all myn̄ ame faillis.”
Sone þis gouernour of grece is of þis gaude ware,
He torkans with & vndire-tuke he touched of him-selfe,
Herd a nyngkiling of his name & naytis him to ryse,
Buskis him vp at a braide & fra þe burde rysys.
He tas a torche fra a tulke þat by þe table standis,
Felly fangis it in his fist & to his fole wyndis,
Fyndis him faire him before þare he him feste hade,
Raȝt him radly þe reyne & on̄ his rige worthis.
With þat he brochis his blonke þat þe blode fames,
Sparis out spacly as sparke out of gledes.
Be þe liȝt at he led laches he þe way,
And fandis fast to þe fliȝt with a fers will.
Þe pepill of þe palais quen þai his passe saȝe,
Rusches vp in a res rynnes in-to chambres,
Sum araies þaim in̄ ringis & sum in̄ row brenys,
Some in stalwart stuffe & some in stele plates
With hard hattis on þaire hedis hied to þaire horsis,
Prekis eftir þe prince prestly enarmed.
Bot now was niȝt on̄ þam̄ neȝed þat noyd þaim sare.
Sone ware þai willid fra þe way þe wod was so thike,
Sum on̄ buȝes & on̄ brerys blemysched þe face,
Sum ware dreuyn̄ doun in dikis sum in depe myrys;
Bot Alexander at myn̄ ame þaire aȝe is a-schapid,
Ay trottis him to þe trod-gate as him þe torche wyssis.
Sire Dary as a drery man̄ duellis at hame,
With princes in̄ his palais all pense he sittis,
Þe baldnes of þis baratour he besyly remembris,
Þat skapid so sone skatheles fra all his schathill dukis.
Þan̄ was an̄ ymage within as I am enfourmede,
Of Sexeres þat sum-quyle þat cite had to welde,
Forgid all of fyne gold & fettild his seete
Vndire þe souerayne sege þare sett ere þe lawis.
And sodanly þat semylacre as tellis þe textis,
It all to-paschis in-to peces & to poudire dryuys.
Þan was þe wale kyng waa & wepand he said:
“Þis be-takens trombling of my tild & tene of my regne.”
And Alexander all þat quile asperly rydis
To þe grete flode of Granton̄ & it on̄ a glace fyndis.
Or he was soȝt to þe side ȝit sondird þe qweryns,
His hors it hunyschist for euire & he with hard schapid.
Þan̄ aires he with Emynelows euen to his princes,
And derfly on̄ þe toþir day a douth he assembles,
Twa hundreth thousand on̄ a throm̄ all of threuen kniȝtis,
Cairis him vp to a cliffe & comfurthis his hostis;
“Sall neuir þe Persyns pake be pere to þe grekis,
And if þai ma ware be many mayes noȝt ȝour hertis;
Full many flees may fell bot a fewe waspis.”
And all þe company clene comendid his wittis.